The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1887-07-23

To give beef tea alone to sick per-
son is to give him stone when he asks
for bread. 1t is not food, it is stimu-
liant! This is the startling information
that we read i'm DR.. Fothergill's Manual
of Die,ctics, published by William Wood
& Go. When flesh is boiled its albumcn
is coagulated, and beef tea as ordinarily
prepared contains no albumen. 1t is
practically destitute Of matter that can
ever form tissue, and is equally without
value as fuel food.
SAYS Sir William Roberts: "There is
widespread public misapprehension in
regard to the nutritivc value Of beef tea.
The notion prevails that the nourshing
qualities of tine meat pass into the de-
coction and that the dry. hard remnant
of the meat fiber which remains undis-
solved is exhausted of its nutriment
properties. In making common beef
tea the ingredients which pass into so
luton are the rapid extractives and as
lines of the meat. and nothing more,
except some tritling amount of gelatine.
The meat remnants, on the other hand,
contain the actual nutriment of the
meat; and if this be beaten to paste
with spoon, or pounded in mortar.
aud duly favored with salt and other
condiments, it constitutes not only a
highly nourishing and agreeable, but
also an exceedingly digesible, form OF
food"
DIR. King Chambers gives directions
for preparing nutritious beef tea: Make
the cook understand that tho virtue of
beef tea is TO contain all the contents
and favors of lean beef in a liquid
form; and that its vices are to be sticky
and strong and to set like Il hard jelly
when cold. Let her take half n pound
of freshly killed beef for every pint OF
beef tea required, and remove all fat,
sinew, veins and bone. Let it be cut
into pieces under half an inch square,
and soak for twelve hours in one-thrd
of the water. Let it then be taken out
and simmered for two hours in the re-
naming two thirds of the water. the
quantity lost by evaporation being re-
placed from time to time. The boiling
liquor is then to be poured on the cold
liquor in which the meat was soaked.
The solid meat is to be dried, pounded
in mortar. freed from all stringy
parts aud mixed with the rest. This
has been termed "whole" beef tea
can see sundry readers, says DR..
Fo,hergill, having been driven past the
stage Of incredulity by the hard logic Of
facts, wringing their hands in anguish
over the thought of departed relatives
who have been practically starved to
death on beef tea. Tie mistaken views
about the nutritive value OF beef tea
have been murdcrous. AS food. it is
but the mirage of water seen by the
thirsty traveller in the desert; there is no
real water So with beef tea. rs COM
monty prepared, it is not food, but
stimulant
"WhOle" beef tea is no doubt good
food; very good in convalescence from
acute diseases. when wasted muscular
tissue has to be repaired. But in many
cases it is open to question whether SO
much albuminous matter is either good
or desirable When this is not used.
there should be added teaspOonful OF
any baked flour to teaspoonfui OF or
di,.afy beef tea, and some salt Well
baked flour is largely changed into
soluble dextrine; and beef tea, contain
ing some such addition, is capital
food. If the baked flour be made from
unbolted -four, then some albuminold
matter is present rs well as the salts OF
the grain. Such will make an ideal
fluid food. - Good Housekeeping.